maybeignoreme-blog

[maybeignoreme-blog]

Hey. Maybe the Internet IS Helpful

     The internet is a hateful place. You know it. I know it. It’s pretty much a fact. So many weird/bad things have come out of the creation of the internet. That ‘me gusta’ meme for example.

(Know Your Meme)

(Seriously why did we let that go on for so long)      Or Jake and Logan Paul.

    Think about it. If we didn’t have the internet D*nald Tr*mp would have no platform for his hate speech. But sometimes the Internet produces some really great things. Vine (may she rest in peace), those random websites that let you stream movies for free, the Wendy’s Twitter account. The internet allowed Ariana Grande’s “Thank u, next” to go certified platinum. It’s beautiful really. 

     Another bonus, the internet has this really cool ability to connect everyone in the world. Facebook has 1.49 BILLION users (click that link if you don’t believe me). Think about that for a second. BILLION. B-I-L-L-O-N. ~21% of the world’s population is on Facebook. 

     So all that super awesome internet connectivity has to amount to some good, right? Yeah! It has. The internet has proven to be revolutionary in terms of increasing the outreach and influence of new social movements. At the same time, however in some ways, these movements are slightly less effective than the ones in the past.

     I’m gonna focus on Twitter because I actually use that site and it’s pretty much the birthplace of the New Civil Rights Movement. Twitter rebirthed and rebranded activism. Literally every issue on earth is at your fingertips and with a few keystrokes, boom. Anyone can be part of the conversation. 

    So here’s the downside. According to a USA Today article “77 percent [of people surveyed] believe social networks can distract from issues that are really important, and 71 percent agree that “social media makes people believe they’re making a difference when they really aren’t” – a phenomenon more commonly known as ‘slacktivism’” (Simon, 2018). 

     USA Today writer Caroline Simon isn’t alone. In her dissertation Nadine Barnett-Cosby had this to say: “Some scholars argue that online activism is an asset or supplement to real-life activism, particularly for younger users who may not otherwise engage, others argue that it is a major deterrent from active behavior because it can create “the false sense of making a difference and undermines real-life activities” (Milosevic-Dordevic & Zezelj, 2016, p. 118)” (Barnett-Cosby, 52).

     It’s easy to see where all this comes from. To be completely honest I’ve been guilty of slacktivism. Most of the time I just scream into the void that is my Twitter feed without really doing anything. I sign the petitions but I don’t pay money to fund them. I retweet the posts but I don’t go to the rallies. (No one ever wants to admit that but like...who’s gonna fight me)

    What is digital activism anyway? In his dissertation, Tyler Goodridge puts it best. “Digital activism is both static and fluid; it can function as awareness building on an online forum, mobilizing large groups of people through digital campaigns, or using one’s personal social media account to support or promote a social concern” (Goodridge, 11). Basically that means that digital activism is unique as opposed to other more traditional forms of activism. The internet allows more people to become educated be a part of a movement.

     Another thing people worry about with movements like Black Lives Matter is the lack of a key figure. In the past there were leaders. Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Marsha P. Johnson. 

They were figureheads that people could rally around. Online movements tend not to be structured that way.

     However “the suggestion that the organizations that have emerged from the Black Lives Matter protests are somehow lacking because they have rejected the old style of leadership misses what makes this movement most powerful: its cultivation of skilled local organizers who take up many issues beyond police violence” (Ransby, 2017). By not having a centralized figurehead movements like Black Lives Matter have been able to have leadership groups that can better work to help their communities under the banner of this huge movement. The e-generation is one that rejects tradition. 

     But great power comes great responsibility (or something like that). At the same time this non-traditional stance we have with modern activism can sometimes backfire. Movements can become too big. In his dissertation Kyle Chapman says about the #NoMakeupChallenge “What began as a movement intended to promote solidarity, femininity, and cancer research essentially devolved into a platform for egotism and narcissism” (Chapman, 44); which is pretty much a harsh way to say the movement was co-opted and its focus shifted from breast cancer awareness to how cute someone is without makeup (I’ll admit I thought the no makeup challenge was a way for people with clear skin to show off tbh). 

     That’s just one example. Remember the Ice Bucket Challenge? People dumped freezing water on top of their heads. It made a lot of funny videos. For example:

(Crey Crey, ‘*NEW VINES* EPIC ALS Ice Bucket Fail’)      People got more caught up in the comedy than in the message behind the challenge. It was supposed to ‘simulate’ how ALS patients feel to raise awareness (and money) but it turned into a meme.

      Such is the danger of the internet. 

     But Black Lives Matter has proven to be different. #BlackLivesMatter has proven not to be a fad. It began in 2012 with the death of Trayvon Martin. It garnered more momentum after Zimmerman wasn’t convicted. Black Lives Matter was catapulted back into the spotlight when Michael Brown was shot. This time it became a viral thing. By analyzing tweets from the beginning of 2014 to the end of November 2014 there were roughly 66,159 tweets about #BlackLivesMatter (Ince et. al), 45,844 of which were posted after Darren Wilson wasn’t indicted. Even more, these weren’t all just tweets. There were rallies and protests and petitions. 

     Black Lives Matter is a fluid movement that adapts with the time. Unlike #occupywallstreet (who was she anyway) or the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, #BLM has managed to outlast the Internet’s 5 second attention span and has continually made changes IRL. 

     Anyway I’m gonna finish this up. If you’re going to take anything away from this it’s that you shouldn’t let old people tell you that you’re not doing enough because you’re not marching in the streets and getting arrested. Awareness can be just as powerful as direct action because oftentimes awareness can inspire action. Although maybe you should donate to your local organizations just to be safe. 

     If you’re broke (Me. I’m calling myself out) or don’t know who to donate to or just don’t don’t want to donate you can always speak to people about issues. Creating a dialogue can be just as helpful as going to rallies. Holiday season is coming up kiddos. Call out your racist uncle. Correct your homophobic cousin.

     To be completely honest most of the people you try to talk to won’t take you seriously but those whose minds you do change will be better for it. I mean come on, how cool is it to have bragging rights for converting your problematic family members? Even a little bit of change is good. Bring attention to marginalized groups even if it doesn’t affect you directly. 

     No, especially if it doesn’t affect you directly. You don’t have to be black to raise awareness about Black Lives Matter. You don’t have to be trans to advocate for trans rights. If you, yes you, incorporate those little changes you learned online to the real world you can make a change. Knowledge. Pass it on.